They descended marble steps into the cool dankness of what had been a crypt and now housed spirits of a different kind. Rows and rows of wine and liquor bottles now lined the walls and were neatly arranged on the concrete floor.
The basement area here looked much like it did at Finnegans, she observed. Except, of course, at Finnegans, the cellar had always been solely for liquor storage.
Not storage for the dead.
I wonder if the staff ever feels uncomfortable down here, Kieran said.
The dead who rested in this area are gone, Craig said. Besides, you need to
Fear the living, not the dead, Kieran said.
Yep. Theyre the ones who will hurt you.
A patrolman stood to the far rear where large chunks of the wall had been knocked down and a broad opening had been created. Two women wearing jumpsuits that identified them as part of the forensic team were hunkered down over a black chest, working with samples. A photographer was snapping pictures.
She spotted Mike standing with another man who appeared grim and weary but calm.
He looked at her and nodded an acknowledgment. Kieran knew Craigs partner well and liked him very much.
This is Detective Larry McBride, NYPD, Mike said. Detective, this is Ms. Finnegan. Shes with the psychiatrists the Bureau often uses in the city, Drs. Fuller and Miro.
The detective studied her as he offered a hand. He apparently hadnt realized that it was still gloved. He pulled off the glove and shook her hand. Ms. Finnegan. I know Dr. Fuller. Fine man.
You know him?
He nodded, grimacing. Im a tennis player.
Ah, Kieran said.
Lets do this, Craig said. Kieran, this way to the forgotten crypt.
He turned her around and led her through the broken wall.
He was stoic. To anyone else it might appear that nothing bothered him. But she knew him well enough to know the crypt did bother him. Not because of those who had died long ago, and hopefully through natural means. He was a good agent, Egan had told her once, because he had empathy. He was sorry for the victim, the woman whose body he had already seen.
She realized that she was far more squeamish than heand she also realized that she had never been on the site of a murder before. The murder hadnt taken place here, but...
She paused for a minute, taking in what she saw.
The crypt stretched far beneath the earth. There were marble sarcophagi here and there amid the rows of what she could only think of as shelvingshelving for the dead. She thought that the rows seemed to go on endlessly, housing hundreds of interments. Shed been in the catacombs in Rome and this felt very similar, except that slabs for the dead were not just against the walls, they were in those endless rows of stone as well, one on top of the other. It was almost as if the tombs where the dead rested were many tiered bunks in a dormitory. Some of the shelving had broken marble slabs. Some had nothing, and bone peeked from rotting shrouds. Toward the front where she stood, coffins lay upon the same shelving. Most were deteriorating; all seemed to be covered with a haze of dust and cobwebs.
She pulled out her notepad and began sketching furiously, and then reached for her cell phone, taking pictures.
Kieran?
Yes? She turned.
Craig was watching her. From his expression, she knew that he was unhappyand not because he wanted to prevent her work in any way. He just hated that she had to see this macabre place.
He tried a dry smile. None of those is for Facebook, Twitter or any other social media? he asked lightly.
She glared at him, refusing to answer.
He nodded. To the left.
She tensed, knowing she was about to look at the dead woman.
When she forced herself to turn, she felt chills seize hold of her spine and her limbs.
It was surreal.
Jeannette Gilbert still lay in the coffinmuch as she had been found, Kieran surmised. The ME had been to the body, but as of yet, it remained undisturbed.
And the woman...
In life Jeannette Gilbert had been truly beautiful. Long, sweeping blond hair had curled over her shoulders, her lips had been generous and beautifully shaped, her cheekbones high. Now, even in death, she looked impossibly like a princessas if she might be awakened by loves first kiss.
And yet...
There seemed to be something out of focus. She just wasnt quite perfect anymore. And, staring at the corpse, Kieran knew what it was.
She was decaying. And coming closer to her, Kieran felt as if the scent of that decay suddenly began to permeate her.
She forced herself not to back away. She saw then that the MEout beyond the broken-down wall in the basement areahad a mask hanging around his neck. No doubt hed donned it when he had examined the corpse.
Craig, however, stood at her side unflinching, staring down at the body with sadness and regretand something steely in his expression that said that he wouldnt stop until the killer was found.
She turned away from Craig quickly, actually taking a step closer to the corpse in the coffin as she lowered her head.
Kevin! Kevin had been the mystery man she had been dating. Had he been in love with Jeannette Gilbert? Possibly. And if so...well, she knew her twin. Jeannette would have been a nice woman; she would have cared about people. She might have been a supermodel, but she would have given to charities, cared about children, possibly visited cancer wards.
Thank God her brother wasnt here to see this.
She swallowed hard and took pictures first this time, then sketched what she saw, adding little notes to her sketch.
The terrible smell of death seemed so close.
This is howwhereshe was found? she asked Craig.
Just about. The coffin was on the middle shelf. It appears to be the best preserved of those down here. Thats why Shaw opened it first, and, presumably, why the killer chose it.
Kieran added to her notes.
The entry wasnt as big last night. More of the false wall was torn down to make way for Dr. Shaw and his crew and whatever historians might have been called in. He did note that the position on the shelf was a little extended, or more at an angle. Other than that, he noticed nothing that had changed in the crypt.
As she studied the corpse, Kieran felt a hand on her shoulder and nearly jumped.
Sorry, Kieran.
It was Craig, at her side, introducing her to the ME.
This is Dr. Anthony Andrews. One of the best MEs in the city, Craig said, his hand now discreetly at her elbow, steadying her.
Youre with the profiling people? the ME asked.
Yes, civilian profilers, she said.
He nodded. I need to bring this young lady to my office now. Weve waited here a bit longer than I would have liked. Do you need more time?
Kieran shook her head. No, thank you. I was hoping that Dr. Fuller might make it, but...
Yes, traffic. He could be quite a while. Im sure youve recorded and noted everything that can be given to him. Youre not a psychiatrist?
Psychologist, Kieran said.
Andrews glanced at Craig and turned back to Kieran. Well, my dear, in my mind, you might be best suited to understand the mind of such a killer. Too many psychiatrists are pill pushers. Psychologists have to work with the human creation without benefit of mind-altering drugs. Anyway, a pleasure to meet you, though I have seen you. Finneganyoure related to the owners of the pub behind us, right?
Im one of the owners, she told him. There are four of usmy brothers, Declan, Kevin, Danny and myself. Declan manages the pub and usually tends bar.
He grinned solemnly again. Ah, well, then, your brother may not be a psychologist, too, but hes is a heck of good listener. Ive seen him talking to people at the bar. Seems to know what makes them tick. For now, if youll excuse me... Ill get to my part in this investigation.
She nodded and returned her phone and notepad to her bag.
Craig led her out.
Andrews called to him. Ive been told this takes precedence, so autopsy in about two hours. No, let me say precisely...3:00 p.m.
Thank you. Mike and I will be there, Craig said.
He brought Kieran back to the marble steps.
She was glad of his arm. Not only was she affected by the dead body, but she couldnt stop thinking about Kevin. That he had been Gilberts mystery man, and that the model had alluded to her feelings for him in several interviews.
She pictured the beautiful young woman on an autopsy table, giant pincers being used to crack open her ribs...
She winced inwardly and began to worry.
There was no way someone hadnt seen somethingor didnt know something. She had to talk to Kevin, and he had to talk to Craig.
News about the murder was out. Speculation was no doubt rampant already.
And her twin was going to be a suspect in the murder.
CHAPTER THREE
CRAIG HATED ATTENDING an autopsy.
He did, however, attend whenever possible. No detail was too small when seeking a murderer.
And here, downtown, it was easy enough to get to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Young and old, victim of accident or murderor just having faced death unattended or from causes unknownthe bodies of the deceased in lower Manhattan came here. The OCME had two other locationsin Brooklyn and in Queens, serving those who died farther afield or when a death toll rose dramatically due to assaults by nature or by man.
This office was located on Twenty-Sixth Streetnot far from Finnegans and Le Club Vampyre or the NYC offices of the FBI.
Youll have my tape for anything you might have forgotten here, Dr. Andrews said when he was finished, stepping back from the gurney and nodding to his assistant so that the man could take the body to finish the sewing-up procedure. But its the weirdest damned thing Ive ever seen. From my findings, I believe shes been dead for most of the two weeks shes been missing. Maybe only ten days, though, which would mean that he kept her for just a few daysand has preserved her or tried to preserve her until he chose to leave her. Obviously, gentlemen, we all know that she wasnt killed in the crypt. Wherever she was killed, there has to have been a massive blood spillshe was stabbed straight in the heart. But whats so disturbing is the way that she was kept. She was not sexually assaulted, and her remains were treated tenderly.
As if the killer regretted the murder? McBride asked.
I cant speak to the killers mind. The facts of the case are thisshe has been dead approximately ten days up to two weeks. There are no defensive wounds anywhere on her body. She was kept on ice, or at a very low temperature, slowing decomposition, until she was brought to the crypt. The temperature below the ground is much cooler than above, more toward the preservation side, but not enough that more decay didnt begin to set in. But, even on ice, I believe she had begun to decay before being brought to the crypt. There is no other wound on her other than the fatal jab to the heart. Im going to suggest a strong, broad knife, one-and-one-half to two inches in breadth, five to six inches long. The fatal stab was inflicted in one smooth and determined motion.
By someone strong? A man? Mike asked.
Certainly, no one feeble delivered the thrust. But, no, if the knife was sharp enough, which it was, a person of average strength could have easily done the deed. I dont know as yet what chemical compounds might have been in the body. When I receive the lab tests, Ill let you know.
Well, we know how she died and when she died, McBride said. Now, if we only knew the name of the killer.
I want to get an info board and timeline going, Craig said. Also, see if they came up with anything from the security cameras in the club. Well set up in one of the conference rooms. I have a feeling our task force might get bigger, and well be briefing a lot of people.
He thanked Dr. Andrews and they headed out.
It was always good to leave the morgue.
* * *
Kieran thought that she was incredibly lucky in her employment. Dr. Fuller was a truly decent mantotally unaware of his looks and completely dedicated to his field. There wasnt a narcissistic bone in his body. He was always courteous and caring of others.
Of course, if all else should fail, she also had Finnegans!
But her two roles converged nicely that day.
Traffic was exceptionally bad, and by the time Dr. Fuller arrived, Jeannette Gilberts body was long gone. Still, he headed first to the church to view the scene of the discovery, then he came around the corner to Finnegans and met with Kieran in Declans office.
Kieran got him a scotchhe said he needed one, just oneand ordered shepherds pie for him. Hed been driving a long time.
He ate quickly. He sipped his scotch as if it were nectar from above.
Shed already texted the pictures to him; she went over her sketches and her notes.
He sat for a minute, thoughtful.
Theyre going to suspect her manager and agent, Oswald Martin, he said.
Yes, I know. But you dont think it was him? Kieran asked.
She was his meal ticket. He also worked with her for years, Fuller pointed out. Tell mewhat were your impressions?
Kieran looked at him and then plunged in. Organized. The killer knew what he was doing. Its likely hes killed before.
Fuller nodded. As I understand it, the FBIs on it because a body was found similarly in another state.
Kieran continued with her assessment. She trusted whoever killed her, so, therefore, I dont think it was a random person off the street. Also, whoever did it is meticulous in his own habits. Maybe not clinically insane, but Id say crazy, just not visibly so. Sociopath, beyond a doubt. His own satisfaction excludes any concern for others. The usual profile would suggest a young man, late twenties to early thirties. But I think hes a little older. I also think hes got a decent income, is well educated. After all, he can definitely do some research. He found out about the crypts under the church. What puzzles me, though, is why he placed her in a coffin there. He had to have known that shed be found quickly.
Maybe he wanted her found, Dr. Fuller speculated. His first victim, however, was in a mausoleum many weeks before the woman whose space she was in died. Then again, maybe that didnt please him.
You mean that killing is like art to him?
Killingand displaying the body.
Kieran nodded. Jeannette was stunningly beautiful in life. Living art. Maybe he tried to preserve his victims, but couldnt?
Possibly. Buying mortuary supplies might raise a question.